Thermos To Replace Gas Grill Part

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Thermos Company, of Freeport, IL, announced that, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), it will voluntarily replace the regulator and hose assembly on certain Thermos brand gas barbecue grills because of a possible fire hazard.

Thermos said that a small percentage of the assembly units supplied by Marshall Gas Controls, Inc., of San Marcos, TX, could leak gas and cause a fire. Thermos discovered the potential leak on the regulator and reported its discovery to the CPSC.

The leaking regulators were part of a lot that may have been used to manufacture approximately 130,000 Thermos grills shipped to various locations in the United States between January 24 and March 22, 1991. There have been no reported incidents or injuries involving the regulator on these grills.

Grills that may be involved in this replacement program have serial numbers ending in either A1, B1 or C1. Consumers can find the serial number by checking the base of their grill near the wheels (see drawing). Side burner grill models and grills having regulators with a red inspection mark on top of the regulator are not affected.

Consumers who have purchased an affected model should contact the Thermos Company at 1-800-545-0432 and provide their name and address and the serial number of the grill. A replacement regulator and hose assembly will be shipped via overnight mail at no charge.

The CPSC's mission is to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The CPSC is the Federal agency responsible for consumer product safety. Some 15,000 different kinds of consumer products fall within the Commission's jurisdiction.